Focus on Responsive Email to Grow Your E-Commerce Business

Navigate your nav
Your emails should be a mini window into your e-commerce site experience, the retail appetizer to your shopping entrée. Pick your top three to four shopping categories and create an at-a-glance email navigation system. Allow your logo and navigation items to scale and slide responsively to create an easy-to-click experience. Create a grid for your emails that provides flexibility at multiple break points.

Entry into an exclusive club
A key element in designing email for e-commerce is creating a sense of exclusivity and ensuring that your audience is certain they are the FIRST to know about all important announcements, sales and product launches. Always add value and provide a reason to continue to subscribe.

For example, Quench is a newsletter from PepsiCo that's optimized for desktop, tablet and mobile, and offers exclusive contests, chances to win, news and deals, all only to subscribers. Even when you forward an email to a friend, they must be a subscriber to be eligible to win and access content.

Once you've built an e-commerce site, the greatest challenge is driving traffic to it, then converting that traffic into customers. The biggest mistake I frequently see is having a "if you build it, they will come" mentality. In today's crowded marketplace, a brand must remind customers and fans of all its unique products and offerings — and frequently. Building a loyal brand following that can speak anytime, anywhere through responsive email is a sure way to get there.